Fallball Check-In: Maryland Terrapins

The ground shifted quickly under veteran coach John Tillman's feet this past summer. In early June, he was still recruiting for Harvard after finishing his third season with the Crimson. By the end of the month, the University of Maryland had tabbed him as the the Terps' new head coach following the dismissal of former head coach Dave Cottle after losing to Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals.

“It was pretty crazy,” said Tillman of his summer experience. “I tried to call every single one of the guys, all the while trying to take care of what I needed to take care of up north, find a place to live, stay on the recruiting trail, do all those types of things. I tried to reach out as much as possible.”

Like any new transition, Tillman and the team have gone through the early feeling out phase, understanding that there will be new nuances to work under with the change at the top.

“Just like any new guy, they were kinda sizing me up, and I had to prove myself up all over again,” says Tillman. “Now all eyes are watching myself and my staff, to make sure those guys feel like, 'okay, we believe in what they're doing and how they're doing it.

With me personally, I'm kind of transparent, what you see is what you get. I'm not a big BS'r. This is the way it is, the way I feel. I want to make sure if a guy has a question or concern, we address it immediately. I'm also not a guy who's going to rip you or get in your face for no reason, but I do want kids to know, this is how I feel, this is the way I see it.”

Inside Lacrosse hung out with the Terps for a recent Wednesday evening fallball practice to understand more of Tillman's transition to College Park, and his burgeoning relationship with the Maryland lacrosse team.

FALL FOCUS

The Terps built a notable reputation for playing stout defense, a legacy carried from legendary head coach Dick Edell through to former head coach Dave Cottle (thanks in part to the cohesiveness brought by former assistant Dave Slafkosky, now the head coach at MIAA school Mt. St. Joseph's). Last year the team finished last season ranked ninth in the nation holding teams to 8.38 a game.

According to this year's staff and players, during that period the bulk of the defense's work would going into preparing for the week's specific matchups, game-planning the nuances of their opposing offenses. The Terps' flourished under that system, but it was also vulnerable to opposing offense's audibles. Under the old system, making adjustments on the fly could be difficult.

Tillman is looking to implement a core defensive philosophy, which he describes as a “Johns Hopkins/Princeton style defense, but with more slide packages.” With a regular defensive philosophy in place, if the original game plan falls apart the team will be able to still work with a baseline against the opposition.

Assistant coach Kevin Warne is leading the way implementing the defensive scheme. I have a philosophy that every good lacrosse coaching staff should have a bombastic Long Islander. Warne, nicknamed the 'Walrus' for his bellowing voice, fits that bill. He's a presence on the practice field, dropping one-liners left and right during his group sessions with the defense. My favorite line: “Come on, I'm going to hold a fundamentals clinic this summer, charge $475 and make it mandatory for all of you!”

Volunteer assistant John Stainbrook is also helping with the defense.

Senior defender Brett Schmidt talks about the defensive changes, as well as his summer:

On offense, Tillman has emphasized tempo and accuracy during his first weeks of fallball. At the Wednesday practice, between smaller group sessions, Tillman had the team run a full-field, one goal drill, with the loser forced to run half field wind sprints. The veteran offense/young defense group, led by Grant Catalino and Ryan Young (and their accurate, monster shots), beat the veteran defense/young offense group seven times.

This was also the first practice where I'd seen a true player-on-player fight, when middie Joe Fontanesi lost it on defenseman Grant Oliver and took him to the ground. The team and coaches gave the two players their space for a few seconds before teammates amicably separated them. New regime, new intensity.

TOP DOGS

Maryland's 2010 squad is a senior laden group, and the pressure is on both the vaunted attack unit —led by Grant Catalino, Ryan Young, and Travis Reed— and the defense (Max Schmidt, Brett Schmidt) to be successful this season.

?During practice, Catalino and Young were both operating on all cylinders. The Big Man from Webster, N.Y. spent the summer in Canada playing indoor, improving both his release and hands. He his goals were quick and crisp during the 1-goal full drills. Young also looked strong around the cage, working off Catalino's feeds from the top right as well as creating his own shot (Reed was out with a tight hamstring. Both players talk about their summers, and the upcoming season ahead:

FRESH FACES

Inside Lacrosse ranked Maryland's current freshman class No. 3 in the nation thanks to the overall depth of quality talent the team brought for the 2011 season.

Maryland's two Under Armour All-American defensemen, Casey Ikeda (Conestoga, Pa.) and Mike Erhardt (Chaminade, N.Y.), were both impressive in practice. Both players are clearly still catching up to the pace and tempo of a roster full of Division I athletes, but they were also receiving plenty of playing time and attention from the coaching staff, either running minutes with the first defensive line or playing minutes with the group of longpoles vying for the third and fourth defensive spots behind the Schmidts. Both definitely have the tools to be contributors this upcoming spring, with Ikeda possibly having the leg up.

Offensively, Inside Lacrosse's No. 56 recruit Brendan Saylor was leading the second team offense as the point man during full field drills. A relatively small guy (he's generously listed as 5-8, 150 lbs.), Saylor's quickness around the cage was apparent. Coach Tillman did dub him “Favre” at the end of practice for his penchant for going for the the homerun throw on his assists. With the offense so senior laden this year, Saylor will have time to refine his game this fall and spring.

KEY BATTLES

?Starting goalie is a concern for the Terps. Last year's starting goalie Brian Phipps has graduated (he's helping the team this year as a volunteer Director of Operations). Sophomore Niko Amato and senior Mark White appear to be the front runners now, though M.J. Leonard and freshman Dom Lamolinara both looked solid in practice. Don't expect a clear cut answer on this group until the spring.

NEW TRADITIONS

Tillman implemented a new tradition this fall for the team, awarding a “Terps” hard hat to the hardest working player during practice. Though Tillman wanted to give the award to freshman goalie Lamolinara, the team decided senior SSM defensive midfielder Dan Burns deserved the hardhat for the Wednesday evening practice after pushing the offense on the 1-goal drills. A teammate dubbed him “Pigeon Boy” for his efforts, though I missed the inside joke on that one.

The Terps have a busy schedule next week. Their alumni game is set for Tuesday, Oct. 19. They follow that up with a trip to Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex for a scrimmage with the Greyhounds Friday, Oct. 22.